Ross Bjork had a banner year in his first full year as the athletic director for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes won the men’s Capital One Cup, Ohio State won the national championship in football, and he set up several NIL collectives. Yet, fans are still not pleased with what he’s doing.

Bjork seems to have mismanaged the new NIL rules with the NCAA, and that has cost the Ohio State football program several big-time recruits. He is renovating the stadium for the richest of the rich at the expense of students. He seems to care more about the corporate aspect of things than the heart of college athletics.

While speaking in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Bjork revealed his most egregious offense of all since taking the athletic director job over from a retiring Gene Smith. He has ended a beloved Ohio State football tradition that has been around for decades.

Ross Bjork ends Hang On Sloopy tradition at Ohio State football games

According to Bjork, Hang On Sloopy will no longer be played by the band at the start of the fourth quarter, a tradition that has been around for decades. Instead, Bjork said the band will play the iconic song “whenever we need it the most”, which is ridiculous.

That’s not the only tradition he’s changing. The Buckeyes are ringing the Victory Bell before games start instead of after wins. Instead of signaling victories, it could end up signaling losses, depending on the outcome of the game.

Bjork will quickly wear out his welcome if he starts messing with beloved Ohio State traditions. He wore out his welcome pretty quickly at Ole Miss and Texas A&M with the fans; he’s fast-tracked that at Ohio State. This is a ridiculous thing to do for no apparent reason.

Bjork has already moved the band from the South stands to the North stands, a move that makes it easier to play in the Shoe. For years, it has been borderline impossible for opponents to score in the South endzone because of the support of the students and the band in that section.

Fans are already not taking kindly to this announcement. Bjork is revealing himself to be a corporate shill who only cares about the bottom line, and he isn’t even doing a good job with that. The athletic department is $38 million in debt.

Data provided by Student Athlete Score

(August 5th, 2025) – From top-tier brands like Nissan, C4 Energy, and Dick’s Sporting Goods, to school-specific partnerships with state tourism entities and local credit unions, the latest round of college athlete NIL deals continues to reflect the depth and diversity of the modern athlete economy. This week’s update spans 17 athletes, representing powerhouse programs like LSU, Michigan, and North Carolina—as well as standout mid-major talent. For a full, searchable archive of past deals, visit our NIL Deal Tracker.

IRVING, Texas – Three Oklahoma State Cowgirls were named to the 2025 Preseason All-Big 12 Soccer Team in a vote of the conference’s head coaches.
 
OSU midfielders Xcaret Pineda and Laudan Wilson and defender Jazmin Brown made the list of the league’s top 27 players, while the Cowgirls were picked by the coaches to finish seventh in the 16-team league.
 
TCU is the Big 12 favorite, receiving 13 first-place votes, while Texas Tech came in second with a pair of first-place nods. BYU, West Virginia, Kansas and Colorado were also picked ahead of the Cowgirls.
 
OSU is coming off a 2024 season in which it finished 14-5-3 overall and made its 14^th appearance in the NCAA Championship. A year ago, the Cowgirls were picked to finish eighth in the preseason Big 12 poll but posted a 6-3-2 mark and fifth-place finish.
 
The Cowgirls return seven players who started at least 10 games last season, led by Pineda and Wilson, who were both All-Big 12 First Team performers.
 
A senior, Pineda has played in 61 career games and recorded 14 goals and 11 assists. She tallied six goals each of the last two seasons and also posted four assists as a junior en route to All-Midwest Region First Team honors.
 
Wilson is coming off a sophomore season in which she was OSU’s leading scorer with 19 points as she scored a career-high five goals and ranked second in the Big 12 with nine assists. She has eight goals and 15 assists in 39 career games.
 
Brown played her first three collegiate seasons at Kansas State, where she appeared in 55 games with 53 starts, before transferring to Stillwater for her final year.
 
As a junior last season, Brown started 18 games and earned All-Big 12 Second Team accolades while leading the Wildcats’ field players in minutes played with 1,450.
 

Texas A&M starting quarterback Marcel Reed became the latest college football player to sign a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with Rhoback. The apparel company announced the news Tuesday while also releasing a new licensed A&M line for the 2025 season.

According to Rhoback, Reed will receive a percentage of the revenue generated from its items purchased through his 20% discount link for new customers. That discount link can be found here: Marcel Reed 20% off Rhoback discount link.

“From day one, Marcel stood out — not just for his talent on the field, but for the way he carries himself off it,” Rhoback athlete relations lead Shalen Moore said in a statement. “He represents everything we look for at Rhoback: authenticity, energy, and a connection to his communities and fanbase. We’re beyond excited to have him on board as a pillar and to support his journey every step of the way. With his help, we’re rolling out brand new custom designed Texas A&M collegiate gear, and we can’t wait to see how his community connects with it.”

For the first time in his college career, Reed is the cemented starter going into the season. He flashed promise as a redshirt freshman last fall, replacing the game-one starter for the Aggies, Conner Weigman, in the middle of the season before cementing himself as the top option.

Among freshmen in a single season in A&M history, Reed finished second in passing yards (1,864) and completions (147), third in passing touchdowns (15), tied for 10th in rushing touchdowns (seven) and 14th in rushing yards (547) despite appearing in only 11 games with eight starts.

“I’m fired up to officially join the Rhoback team,” Reed said in a statement, which Rhoback provided. “Ever since the first time I put Rhoback gear on, it’s all I’ve been wearing. What I love most about Rhoback, outside of their apparel, is they are for the athlete. They prioritize fun, authenticity, and most importantly, performance. I’m especially loving the brand-new Texas A&M pieces and cannot wait for our fanbase to wear their Gameday Collection this season. Some really fun things coming this season and we’re pumped to unveil them. In the meantime, I’ll see you all on Saturdays!”

Rhoback previously announced NIL deals with several other college football players, including Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, Penn State running back Nick Singleton and Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.

2025 Marshall Football Tickets 

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Football had two players named to the prestigious Doak Walker Award Watch List on Tuesday.

Redshirt junior Jo’shon Barbie and redshirt senior Tony Mathis were named to the list, which annually honors the top running back in college football.

Barbie exploded onto the scene as a top-tier running back and McNeese State at the end of 2023 and carried that momentum into the 2024 season.

The 5-9, 190-pound product of Harvey, La., has rushed for 1,251 yards and 11 touchdowns in just 17 career games as the primary back for the Cowboys.

In 2024, Barbie finished with 831 yards and eight touchdowns while being a consistent producer in the rushing attack. 

Mathis comes to Marshall from Houston where he spent the last two seasons. Prior to his injury-riddled time with the Cougars, Mathis was one of the best running backs in the Big 12 while in a running back rotation at West Virginia.

In 2022, Mathis started 10 games at running back, finishing No. 7 in the Big 12 in rushing yards per game at 56.2 and No. 11 in rushing yards at 562 while splitting time with two other backs.

The 6-1, 195-pound rusher had three 100-yard rushing games and two multi-TD games to his credit. He earned Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Week following a performance against Baylor in which he rushed for 163 yards on 22 carries with 2 TDs. 

Both Barbie and Mathis join a Marshall offense that will be led by offensive coordinator Rod Smith, whose offenses at Jacksonville State have finished in the top-3 in rushing yards in each of the last two seasons. Smith’s Illinois rushing attack in 2019 also led the B1G.

Marshall Football opens its 2025 season on Aug. 30 at Georgia. The team’s first home game is a Sept. 6 matchup with Missouri State. To purchase tickets, click HERE. 

For all the latest information about Marshall Football, follow @HerdFB on Twitter and @Herd_FB on Instagram.

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.

 —HerdZone.com—

Class of 2026 guard Jordan Smith is down to six schools and Indiana is among his finalists.

The six finalists for Smith include Arkansas, Duke, Georgetown, Indiana, Kentucky and Syracuse. Smith is a five-star prospect and the No. 3 player nationally according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

He plays at Paul VI Catholic in Chantilly, Virginia and played for Team Takeover on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit. Indiana assistant coach Kenny Johnson has strong ties to the Team Takeover program, which features many players from the DMV area.

Smith landed a scholarship from the IU basketball staff in early May. Here’s a scouting report on Smith from Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports:

“There may not be a player in high school basketball who impacts winning in more ways or with the same consistency as Jordan Smith. The Paul VI and Team Takeover guard has terrific physical tools and even better competitive intangibles that allow him to change the game on both ends of the floor. He averaged 19.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1 block per game during the recent EYBL season.

“Physically, he’s long and powerful with a 6-foot-8.5-inch wingspan and chiseled physique. He’s also a good athlete who excels defensively, has switchability on that end of the floor because of his physical strength and toughness, and is also an elite perimeter rebounder.

“Offensively, he gets downhill like few other guards in the class and has consistently developed his ball skills over the years so that he now has legitimate on/off ball versatility. He can initiate offense and make decisions (3.4 assists vs. 1.5 turnovers), put pressure on the rim with his force and physicality when he turns the corner, or take smaller guards into the post. He’s an improved shooter, with a notably high release, but still more consistent with his mid-range pull-up than his three with some occasional sidespin (25% 3pt & 68% FT).

“Smith’s transition to subsequent levels will also be lightened by the fact that he doesn’t need to be an offensive focal point to impact the game. He can do it with his defense, rebounding, energy, competitiveness, or unselfishness. His intangibles are truly elite and so while he may not have totally ideal size or ball skills, he’s extremely hard to bet against.”

NEWS: 5?? Jordan Smith Jr. is down to six schools, he tells @Rivals:

Duke, Arkansas, Georgetown, Kentucky, Indiana, Syracuse

Smitty is the top-ranked guard in the 2026 class. https://t.co/Elv1UvU5bt pic.twitter.com/auybPMh9Zb

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) August 5, 2025

See More: Recruiting, Jordan Smith